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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26224885">Dissonance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaBirdNerd/pseuds/MamaBirdNerd'>MamaBirdNerd</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lobotomy Corporation (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Au in which X was just a poor sucker Angela grabbed from the streets, Medical Trauma, Memory Sync, Not Canon Compliant, Sephirot mentioned in passing, She is just doing her job, because he's a lil shit, please excuse Angela, sometimes writing about a sad normie is more fun than A, sorry lads - Freeform, they may show up later if I end up writing more</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:28:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,948</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26224885</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaBirdNerd/pseuds/MamaBirdNerd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As the manager of the main branch of a Wing, people have an expectation that you'll have all the answers. It's hard telling them you don't, but accepting the burden of knowledge is even harder.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Lost and Found</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The manager sat on the floor, back against the wall across from the containment unit’s door. The “work in progress” indicator blinked slowly on the panel beside it. The agent had about twenty minutes left in her shift, if the manager had been keeping track of time correctly. Sometimes the minutes slipped away when her eyes were glued to the portable console she had installed on her tablet. </p>
<p>Angela: Where did you run off to this time? You’re going to hinder productivity.</p>
<p>She swiped the message away without a second thought. Her full attention needed to be on preventing incidents from happening across departments. The Sephirot could manage their employees individually, but it was her job as the Manager to make sure a chain reaction didn’t start. </p>
<p>Despite making a break for the Information Department the moment Angela turned her back, the manager still took her job seriously. Being out of her office meant having more limited access to the goings on of other departments. That could be potentially hazardous if quick communication was needed between departments. Should an abnormality break loose in Central and head for Information, all four upper departments should be alerted. Her safely stashed away office had the fastest means of doing that.</p>
<p>But here she was, tucked in the hallways of Information to help address an issue Angela desperately wanted her to ignore. If research had been allowed to take over the project, no running and hiding would be needed, and she could hole X away to her heart’s content.</p>
<p>Grave of Cherry Blossoms: a TETH level threat that had killed an abnormally high number of middle layer clerks and agents, considering it resided in Yesod’s department. She was well aware of the fact that feeding the tree generated more energy, but it was hard to reconcile herself with a death that was entirely avoidable. That’s what Angela seemed to hate most about all of this.</p>
<p>She was trying to groom the woman to be an ideal and controllable manager. Given how strongly the AI reacted to “disobedience,” the former managers must not have been quite so belligerent. Sure, she had been quick to accept the mantle of “X” that had been shoved upon her, but she was hung up on the next step Angela wanted her to take: detachment.</p>
<p>Try as she might, X couldn’t stop herself from growing fond of her subordinates. Both agents and clerks continued to endear themselves to her, to the point that she wondered if they were doing it on purpose. Everyone here knew that she called the shots when it came to abnormalities. If a breach happened, it was her job to decide who would live or die. At the end of every day, she had blood on her hands. It was slowly going to drive her to insanity, just as Angela had mentioned before. </p>
<p>The other day, she had ordered a Disciplinary agent to fall back and abandon the clerk she had been protecting. The clerk had been torn apart by those giant isopods, for all intents and purposes, murdered by the manager’s hand. The realization hit her like a freight train. This never got easier.</p>
<p>Angela had said nothing, simply offered her arm to help X back to her office once her nausea had passed enough to leave the bathroom. The silence had been pointed. X did her best to ignore the implications. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t sleep much that night, trying to reconcile the fact that she had sentenced that clerk to death because she happened to know the agent better.</p>
<p>X knew Angela had been hindering her progress with Cherry Blossom at every turn. There would be a decline in the average energy produced by this particular abnormality should the killings stop. Angela continued to fail to consider the secondary effects of a lessened mortality rate. Increased morale could increase energy production in other areas. It would certainly negate some sanity drain that stemmed from the constant fear of entrancement. The agents in the lower two levels didn’t need more stress distracting them from working with the ALEPH level threats down there.</p>
<p>Chesed had given her an odd, melancholy look when she had brought the issue up with him. His good mood was always so strained. It was painfully easy to imagine the face he might really be making without the mask he always maintained. Nevertheless, the Sephirah had agreed to help collect data, dismissing her from his department with a casual “Can’t really stop you anyways, so knock yourself out.”</p>
<p>Despite his reluctance, Chesed had been a huge asset in data collection. Efficiency had taken off, and Tiphereth had commented on how nice it was to see Chesed engaged in what he was doing. Tiphereth had added that it also meant he was out of her hair. Maybe he wasn’t doing this as begrudgingly as he pretended.</p>
<p>This should be the last day of their study. The data would be passed to Security and Control to figure out the logistics and execution of the new alert system or Qliphoth Deterrence adjustment. The next stage would be monitoring the effectiveness of whatever was put in place. The manager had worked hard to get the education that she did and wasn’t going to throw the scientific process to the wayside, even if it was par for the course at Lobotomy Corporation.</p>
<p>All of this meant a meeting with Chesed, Netzach, and Malkuth soon. When was the last time Malkuth had talked with Chesed? Hopefully it would all lead to better inter-department communication in general. Personality clashes between the Sephirot really hindered efficiency for their employees. Getting them to focus and work with each other truly was like herding cats. Discussion always devolved into argument whenever she scheduled a meeting with more than one of them at a time. It irked her that Angela had let their relationships devolve so much.</p>
<p>She needed to focus on one thing at a time. Tangential thinking could quickly overwhelm someone trying to make plans. Controlling the danger posed by Grave of Cherry Blossoms was a reachable goal, so long as she functioned independently and avoided making orders through Angela. </p>
<p>X shuffled to her feet as the door to the unit slid open with a happy chime. The agent, River, beamed, </p>
<p>“Go ahead and start your timer, Manager! Tree’s in full bloom and the spooky hands at the base were twitching.” </p>
<p>“Thank you, River. I’ll alert Chesed to start keeping an eye out. You’re probably good for the day unless Yesod has something else in mind. Send your observations on any enthralled personnel you see with the day’s report. After that, you can start wrapping things up.” She returned an absentminded smile to the agent as she tapped out a message to the Sephirah. River ruffled the manager’s hair and chirped a farewell. </p>
<p>All that was left was for Chesed and the team captains to report back times and circumstances of enthrallment. It was all so close to being done.</p>
<p>X meandered towards the elevators. Looking over the data directly with Chesed would be far easier than communicating remotely. He never particularly seemed to mind her dropping by– not these days at least. No doubt he would be expecting this visit anyways.</p>
<p>As she paused to wait for the elevator, her tablet gave an ugent chime,</p>
<p>Angela: Manager, put aside your childish grudge against me. There’s work to be done in your office, and I need to discuss something with you.</p>
<p>For a moment, she considered just swiping the message away. The elevator dinged open.</p>
<p>“It can wait. I’ve promised to meet with one of the Sephirot promptly.”</p>
<p>Angela: I can attend these meetings with you. I know you are aware of this.</p>
<p>“If you take control of every meeting I attend, what am I even here for?”</p>
<p>She strode into the elevator, setting its destination to central. Angela was frustrated. She’d been around the AI for long enough to understand that much. X was being avoidant. She wasn’t trying to hide as much. Angela liked to run interference; As such, diluting interactions with the Sephirot was par for the course. Their reactions had made this clear enough. Not even Chesed or Gebura complained when Angela spectated meetings or cut them short. Their response was usually just to post the rest of the planned meeting points for the manager to look over later.</p>
<p>Netzach was the only one who ever made any comment. </p>
<p>“You must like our new manager a lot. You’re pretty selfish with her time.”</p>
<p>Angela hadn’t graced him with a response. She had simply given him a look over the manager’s head and herded her out of the Sephirah’s department. He’d sent them off with a lazy wave and his version of a self-satisfied look.</p>
<p>Angela: Very well.</p>
<p>Huh. She wasn’t usually that quick to relent. Consider the red flag raised. </p>
<p>X moved with a purpose now. The faster she got through Central, the less time she spent trying her luck with the temper of a single-minded AI, as much fun as it could be at times. </p>
<p>She paid her polite hellos and thank yous to clerks she saw in Central’s halls. The luxurious decor was a far cry from the other departments. The uniforms assigned to each clerk hardly seemed practical, but evidently it worked for them. Or at least, it worked for Tiphereth. In all fairness, these halls usually seemed fairly calm. They ran a tight ship around here. </p>
<p>For that reason, it was painfully obvious when something was out of the ordinary. The harsher, urgent tones of the neighboring Disciplinary department practically highlighted the shattered quiet. The anxiety in the voices of the poor clerks the manager had just passed drew attention to deviation from normalcy. </p>
<p>Two agents bearing Gebura’s armband promptly rounded the corner, forcing eye contact with the manager, who had paused and turned to listen to the conversation. One politely waved. X tensed as they slunk closer, looking very much like someone trying not to scare off a skittish cat. No, that wasn’t worrying at all. She knew these agents, and they weren’t very good at pretending everything was normal.</p>
<p>“Hi, Manager, we were looking for you. Angela asked- oh.” The pair exchanged glances as their quarry took off down the hall. No, they weren’t surprised. It was just a shame to chase down the manager like a panicking employee. She wasn’t nearly so hardy as other agents were. Quinn had mentioned hearing that the staff physicians had diagnosed her with asthma when she had first arrived at L Corp. There wasn’t much else to talk about around here, so gossip about their boss got around fast.</p>
<p>With a shared helpless shrug, the agents sprinted after the runaway manager. They supposed this was the reason Angela had dispatched Disciplinary agents.</p>
<p>X, bless those hours spent starting at diagrams of the facility, had a fairly strong grasp on the layout of these halls. Otherwise her better sense surely would have given out on her the moment she heard the agents give chase. If she made it to Chesed, he could fend off the agents for her. That was a big “if.”</p>
<p>Central employees ducked out of the way of the chase, making room for the much more poorly equipped manager to skid haphazardly through the halls. The agents made good time catching up. The first pulled out her E.G.O. Flipping it around, she used the hooked end of Black Swan to swipe the manager’s legs out from under her. They both winced at the surprised yelp elicited from the manager as she tumbled.</p>
<p>“Sorry! If Angela hadn’t asked, we would have let you go!” the second agent assured as he slowed to a trot, nearing the prone, wheezing manager who held a hand over her nose to ease the newly flowing blood. As the agents drew closer, X stilled then lurched towards them, grappling the legs of her former assailant. The poor agent let out a surprised shout as they both dropped,</p>
<p>“Miss, please!” </p>
<p>As the two scrambled for power over the situation, the second agent let out a resigned sigh. He wrapped his arms around the manager’s waist and hoisted her up, leaving her to flail and lose purchase on his partner’s legs. The woman sprawled on the floor for a moment before grabbing her weapon and rolling to her feet, “I’m guessing that’s why Angela didn’t want to come find you herself?”</p>
<p>Giving one last attempt at freedom, X squirmed, throwing her elbows back into the chest of her captor. The agent gave a small grunt at the impact, but it was the manager who ended up barking in pain as she banged the bone into a hard chestplate. Her own E.G.O. assignments, come back to bite her. While she nursed her throbbing elbows, the agent slung her over his shoulder.</p>
<p>“This isn’t fair. Gebura trains you people too well!” She pushed herself up on the employees back as they passed a clerk from Central, “Ah, hey! Help me out!” The woman quickly averted her gaze, picking up the pace as the manager reached out a hand, “Wait! No– at least tell Chesed I can’t make it!” She thudded back onto the agent’s back with a dejected wheeze. </p>
<p>She knew well that Angela would tuck this success away and use it against her later. Direct force was a good way to keep her hold on the reins tight. </p>
<p>The agents deposited X just over the threshold of the office she shared with Angela. They retreated quickly, seeing the look the AI fixed the manager with. The door shut behind them and then they were alone. The fierce scrutiny sent a shiver across her entire body. Something in those eyes felt caustic.</p>
<p>“Before you say anything, the reports our department teams are sending in don’t show a significant decrease in energy production today. Any clerical work we have to do could have waited. I can still work when the Qliphoth Deterrence is turned up.” </p>
<p>Her inability to emote didn’t hide Angela’s growing disdain as X spoke. Crossing the room in a few strides, she steered the runaway back towards her desk, gripping her shoulders tighter than was strictly necessary. The manager dug in her heels.</p>
<p>“It’s not purely about productivity. We must work together if we’re going to accomplish anything.”</p>
<p>“You could’ve fooled me, Angela. You’re the one cutting me off every time I’m close enough to make an improvement for our employees.”</p>
<p>“That’s not what I’m talking about. This isn’t about the employees either. I can help you understand, but you resist me every step of the way even now.” She gave a small shove to emphasize her point. </p>
<p>X budged, stumbling forward at the surprising strength of the AI. She used the momentum to stalk behind her desk, snatching up a tissue to hold to her bleeding nose. With her face marginally less bloody, she took a half full bottle and spitefully watered the plants on her desk with it, avoiding meeting Angela’s stare,</p>
<p>“So it’s not productivity and it’s not the employees. Just spit it out. I can’t begin to fathom what ideas you’re entertaining in the head of yours.”</p>
<p>“No, you can’t.” Angela said flatly. She stepped forward, ignoring the petulant tone and passive-agressive plant watering.</p>
<p>X paused, making a face in Angela’s direction.That pleased, serene look had returned to her face even despite her snippy comment. Her appraising gaze was almost tangible, and it drained the manager of her anger. Angela continued, satisfied to finally have her attention, “I’ve decided that it’s time for you to remember and take responsibility for all you’ve accomplished. It’s far more than you realize, I can assure you. You look confused. Let me put it this way instead: It’s time for you to meet A.”</p>
<p>The sense of unease that had been writhing in the manager culminated as Angela reached out her hand, “This is what was important enough to cancel your meeting– with Chesed about your pet project, I’m guessing? Let’s not waste any time.” </p>
<p>X jumped backwards before she could figure out whether Angela had intended to grab or not. Angela seemed somewhat surprised by the refusal, hand falling back to her side. She tsked impatiently.</p>
<p>“I would have thought you would be glad to have the chance to understand everything. After all, you’ve complained to me nearly every day about being kept in the dark. Given that we hired you for your ability to adapt and digest information quickly, I can see why you may have been frustrated. This should alleviate your frustrations.” The AI pursued, resolutely closing the distance between the two of them.</p>
<p>“Hold on, hold on,” X retreated further, alarmed. “If you want to talk then I’m all ears. This is important, I get it, but you don’t have to be so… pushy?” Her back hit the wall. “You can see how I might be worried when you back me into a corner like a wolf with its… prey.”</p>
<p>Angela reached out, taking a light hold of X’s wrists and leaning in close,</p>
<p>“You need to trust me. There’s much more to be done than just talk. If you’ll do what you’re told, this won’t be as stressful for you.”</p>
<p> The manager froze the moment Angela touched her, staring with brows furrowed in confusion. There was a tug on her wrists, coaxing her forward. The demand in the action was clear. Encountering resistance, the AI’s grip became more firm.</p>
<p>“Just explain what you really want to do,” X pleaded, “You keep being obtuse. How am I supposed to trust you when you say things like ‘it’s time for you to remember’ then crowd me into a corner?” The memories of B’s warnings were vivid in that moment– Angela, falsely promising to never raise a hand against her. She had a sick feeling that this might have something to do with that. The perceived antagonism hiding behind Angela’s placid expression caused her to pull one of her arms back, requesting its release.</p>
<p>Angela’s response was to pull X away from the wall and ignore the distressed grunt she gave by way of reply. The manager began to struggle in earnest, wrenching her arm to free herself and move towards the door. Angela kept her close, grip not faltering. Her superior strength was put to use, squashing any potential power struggle quickly. </p>
<p>With a sudden change in position, Angela grasped one arm in both of her hands. The AI shifted, tossing the manager to the floor behind the desk. X let out a muted gasp at the impact. Angela was on her immediately, knee pressing into her upper back, pinning her to the floor. Any thrashing was ineffective in the face of the other’s greater weight. Her arm was wrenched back behind her, held fast as she felt the other pause.</p>
<p>“It’s a shame that you felt you couldn’t trust me.” Angela spoke calmly despite the force with which she pulled off X’s lab coat and rolled back the sleeve of her turtleneck. “Honestly, I expected nothing less from you though.” She ran her hand across her bare upper arm, stopping as she found what she had evidently been looking for. The manager shuddered at the frigid touch. She strained to see what was happening above her.</p>
<p>“Angela-!” X jerked as she felt the pinch of a needle biting into her arm. Panic seizing her, she yelped and writhed in Angela’s hold. The AI seemed unphased and calmly depressed the plunger of the syringe, drawing a hiss from the Manager. As she massaged the area around the injection industriously, the pressure on X’s back increased, holding her steady. </p>
<p>She felt cold. Her arm quickly fell numb. The rest of her body followed suit, head falling limp against the ground and muscles relaxing under Angela’s weight. X was vaguely aware of the AI moving to stand as a fog obscured her mind. She felt suddenly weightless, unable to do anything but watch as Angela’s face came into view and the world spun around them. It felt like being burned alive, caught in the embers of her stare. She blacked out to the sight of an empty smile.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I've had a good bit of writing hanging around in my folder, and I thought it may be time to share some of it. There is so little written for any of Project Moon's fandoms, and quite frankly that makes me sad. The world they've been creating is full of interesting surprises. I'm hopeful that people seeing what I'm working on will motivate me to actually continue writing. Imagine... finishing one of the WIPs in my folder...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. One man's fear is another AI's amusement</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This is not standard laboratory practice, Angela.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When she roused, it wasn’t anywhere that she recognized. From what she could see of the room, it was almost uniformly nondescript. X tried and failed to look around and take in her surroundings. Her head was tipped uselessly to one side on the pillow. She could do nothing but listlessly stare at the wall to her right, trying to remember how to get her body to move and methodically trying to get a response from each limb.</p>
<p>For a moment, her mind was blank, fighting off the drugged haze that lingered after waking up. It wasn’t entirely uncommon for the mind to wake up before the body. She had woken up in varying stages of coordination before, but the paralysis usually faded into pins and needles before a few minutes had passed. Still, her limbs refused to move each time she demanded their attention. </p>
<p>With each minute that passed, the fog in X’s head cleared a bit more. When the paralysis failed to dissipate, the manager felt real worry start to set in. She tried to cry out for help but managed only a pitiful whimper in the place of a shout. So it was like sleep paralysis, then; She was trapped in her own body, completely limp and prone. </p>
<p>X shut her eyes, hopeful that going back to sleep would end this nightmare, but it was hard to push aside her anxiety. Thoughts cut through any lingering drowsiness, making her face tingle hot with fear. Her lungs constricted as the heat seized hold of her chest. She felt like she was suffocating, desperately trying to pull in more air despite her depressed breathing.</p>
<p>She blinked her eyes open as her scuffle with Angela came rushing back to mind. She wasn’t dreaming. She hadn’t really been sleeping in the first place. Unconsciousness had come at the beck and call of the drug injected into her veins. This had something to do with whatever the AI had been going on about then– understanding and meeting A. As if to prove a point, the site of the shot on her arm ached in protest of the puncture.</p>
<p>What could this possibly have to do with A, though?</p>
<p>Maybe Angela had finally broken. Or maybe she had been broken all along and just managed to hide it. All the avoidance and belligerence X had forced her to endure in the past several months wore on her seemingly endless patience. Even AI must have their limits when it comes to annoyance. </p>
<p>Her brain helpfully interjected that it was more likely a response to results outside a margin of error. A drastic breach in her programmed protocol must have triggered her to respond and take control of the situation. Somehow, thinking objectively didn’t make any of this feel better. Reminding herself that Angela was a machine only emphasized the fact that she lacked the empathy that kept most humans from hurting each other. The alternative, however, was far more chilling. If Angela had emotions but lacked empathy, she was far more volatile.</p>
<p>Her airway tightened further at the thought of all the tools the AI would have at her disposal here at L Corp. Snatches of stories told by the Sephirot or tidbits left in abnormality profiles had long since confirmed X’s suspicions that some dubious testing went on in this facility. There would be no shortage of medical instruments to be used on her body. Given that she was conscious of the lingering pain from the needle in her arm, whatever paralytic agent currently in her system apparently lacked analgesic properties. There would be no sparing her from the pain Angela’s wrath might bring.</p>
<p>The door clicked open, unbeknownst to X, currently too caught up thinking of the ways in which Angela might try to secure obedience. The trance was broken by the shutting door and a familiar set of clicking footsteps. There was a pause, then,</p>
<p>“Ah, good to see you’re awake, X.”</p>
<p>If she had the ability to, she would have shivered to hear that voice again– would have reacted violently to the cold touch of her hands as she righted her head. Somehow, the AI had known the moment X had awoken. It was hard to avoid eye contact without being able to move her head. </p>
<p>The effort seemed to amuse Angela,</p>
<p>“Yes, I suppose this would be rather alarming to wake up to. I forget that, unlike the Sephirot, you’re not used to being handled quite the same way. They’ve all grown indifferent to the sensation since their motor functions are disabled whenever they receive repairs.” She smoothed X’s hair as she spoke, as though delighting in the way the intimate touch would have made her squirm. She moved on, straightening her clothes– she was disturbed to find they were the hospital scrubs L corp used, not her usual turtleneck. The shift of her body brought attention to the sensation of intrusion on her left hand and clavicle. The two IV drips located there had gone unnoticed in her initial panic.</p>
<p>Handling was certainly the right word to use. With no means to defend herself, she was positioned like a doll, yielding to the demands of a handler. The manager could do nothing but track Angela’s movement with her gaze as she moved around, replacing drip bags and gauze. Her head spun to think of what might be flowing into her body through those tubes.</p>
<p>Seeming satisfied, the AI moved out of sight. X felt the bed shift, bringing her into a sitting position. The room was small. It may as well have been a cell for all the care put into the decor. She felt sick. This felt like one of the horror stories that got told about people being snatched out of the Backstreets and experimented on, and yet it had happened in a Nest. She couldn’t say that Lobotomy was really the place she would have chosen to have it happen.</p>
<p>Angela returned with what sounded like a metal cart in tow. She tipped X’s head forward and could be heard fumbling with something on the tray. </p>
<p>There was a wet sensation at the base of her skull as she saw her captor reach over in her periphery. An alcohol swab, her brain provided. That made sense given the rest of the medical equipment. She wasn’t wearing gloves, but at least Angela was using some sterile techniques. </p>
<p>Her thoughts were cut short as Angela spread a gel of some kind over the freshly swabbed area. Rows of small prongs gently pressing into her skin replaced Angela’s touch. X could feel her moving whatever it was, methodically aligning it exactly how she wanted it. The anticipation of what was to come was maddening, made worse by the lack of a reaction from her body. Dread and anxiety sat heavily in her chest, wrapping and constricting her heart and lungs. </p>
<p>Then, all at once, there was a pressure and the pain of each barb piercing the soft skin just below her hairline. She nearly choked, involuntarily coughing out a sound she wasn’t even aware she could still make. Angela paused, giving a contemplative hum. The pressure returned and the pain persisted, growing deeper and making her skull throb with an oncoming headache. It turned dull as she felt metal come flush with her skin, anchors fully sunk into her flesh. Angela firmly affixed the chip with a patch or medical tape. The technicalities didn’t really seem important right now.</p>
<p>Tears stung her eyes as the AI tipped her head back to rest on the bed again. The metal pressed into the skin at the base of her skull and the whole area throbbed with the agitation. The tears flowed down her face freely now as she stared back at Angela again. She was peaceful as ever, perhaps even smiling a bit. The expression was a bit hard to digest in the face of the pain, but it solidified the fear in her chest nonetheless. </p>
<p>She was brusque in the rest of her preparations, all of which required blessed little needling– the worst was only a finger prick to collect blood. More of the gel was smeared onto X’s forehead and electrodes carefully positioned there. Through all of it, neither woman made a sound.</p>
<p>Angela stepped back once she was finished, taking in her handiwork. After all, she didn’t get to do work like this very often. She typically pulled strings from afar, never indulging in closely watching anyone but the Sephirot. Having so much control over the manager took a weight off her shoulders. She made no attempts to hide her amusement, watching X’s uneven breathing and frustrated, pained tears. </p>
<p>“I regret to say, I can’t let you lay back and get comfortable or give you a sedative. It’s imperative that you be awake and remember all of this. I would stay to watch, but I have work in the office to get done before tomorrow.” The irony wasn’t lost on either of them. </p>
<p>Angela gently straightened X’s appearance again, brushing her hair away from the gel on her head and wiping her tear stained face with a paper towel. With that, she tapped the screen of a console out of the manager’s line of sight and left the room. The door clicked shut, lock falling into place with a soft chime.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Got some mental trauma coming up in the next chapter or so.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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